Canada needs to do a better job transitioning youth out of foster care and into adulthood, says a report released today by a Canadian expert on youth homelessness.

The report, "Coming of Age: Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada," is written by Stephen Gaetz, a professor at York University in Toronto whose research specializes in solutions to homelessness.

The report concluded youth homelessness in Canada can be addressed through efforts such as a more integrated and coordinated "system of care" to guide these vulnerable young people.

One of the contributing factors to youth homelessness, Gaetz found, was inadequate support for youth who "age out" of foster care at age 18 or 19 or 21, depending on in which province they live.

"Research consistently points to the high percentage of homeless youth who have had some involvement with child protection services, including foster care," he wrote.

"It is both the experience of being in child protection and the transitions from protection to independence, that account for many of these problems ... (Some) youth simply 'age out' of the foster care system and are left to fend for themselves, lacking necessary resources and never having been prepared for independent living at such a young age."

The Sun just completed a six-part series examining the dire outcomes faced by the 700 youth who age of B.C.'s foster care system each at age 19.

Gaetz's national report found similar outcomes for former children, as those seen in B.C.: homelessness, unemployment, lack of educational engagement and achievement, involvement in corrections, lack of skills and potentially, a life of poverty.

"Many young people who leave care fail to make the transition to independent living because of underdeveloped living skills, inadequate education, lower levels of physical and emotional well-being and lack of supports and resources that most young people rely on when moving into adulthood," Gaetz wrote.

He said other countries, such as the U.S., Australia and England, have begun to address these challenges.

He said child protection is a provincial responsibility in Canada, and noted Ontario has taken some steps toward change. The only mention he made of British Columbia was a community plan happening in Kamloops.

In interviews with The Sun, the B.C. government insists it has sufficient programs to help foster children after they leave care at age 19, but acknowledged they need to do a better job of helping these fragile youth access the services.

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Better job needed in transitioning youth out of foster care: Canadian report

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